1954 FIFA World Cup
Sándor Kocsis (11 goals) | player = | prevseason = 1950 | nextseason = 1958 }} The 1954 FIFA World Cup, the fifth staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerland was chosen as hosts in July 1946. The tournament set a number of all-time records for goal-scoring, including the highest average goals scored per game. The tournament was won by West Germany, who defeated Hungary 3–2 in the final, giving them their first title. Host selection Switzerland was awarded the tournament unopposed on 22 July 1946, the same day that Brazil was selected for the 1950 World Cup, in Luxembourg City. Qualification The hosts (Switzerland) and the defending champions (Uruguay) qualified automatically. Of the remaining 14 places, 11 were allocated to Europe (including Egypt, Turkey and Israel), two to the Americas, and one to Asia. Scotland, Turkey and South Korea made their World Cup debuts at this tournament (Turkey and Scotland had qualified for the 1950 competition but both withdrew). Austria appeared for the first time since 1934. Turkey would not participate at a finals again until the 2002 competition, while South Korea's next appearance would be in 1986. The third and fourth place teams from 1950, Sweden and Spain, both failed to qualify. In a shock result, Spain was eliminated by Turkey: after the two countries had tied a three-game series, Turkey progressed by drawing of lots. German teams were allowed to qualify again, after having been banned from the 1950 FIFA World Cup. West Germany qualified against fellow Germans from the Saarland (which then was a French protectorate), while East Germany had not entered, cancelling international football games after the East German uprising of 1953. Argentina declined to participate for the third World Cup in succession. Summary Format The 1954 tournament used a unique format. The sixteen qualifying teams were divided into four groups of four teams each. Each group contained two seeded teams and two unseeded teams. Only four matches were scheduled for each group, each pitting a seeded team against an unseeded team. This contrasts with the usual round-robin in which every team plays every other team: six matches in each group. Another oddity was that extra time, which in most tournaments is not employed at the group stage, was played in the group games if the score was level after 90 minutes, with the result being a draw if the scores were still level after 120 minutes. Two points were awarded for a win and one for a draw. The two teams with the most points from each group progressed to the knockout stage. If the first and second placed teams were level on points, lots were drawn to decide which team would top the group. However, if the second and third placed teams were level on points, there was a play-off to decide which team would progress to the next stage. It turned out that two of the four groups required play-offs, and the other two required drawing of lots between the two top teams. The play-offs were between Switzerland and Italy, and Turkey and West Germany: in both matches the unseeded teams (Switzerland and West Germany) repeated earlier victories against the seeds (Italy and Turkey) to progress. In the other two groups, lots were drawn to determine the first-place teams: resulting in Uruguay and Brazil finishing above Austria and Yugoslavia, respectively. A further unusual feature of the format was that the four group-winning teams were drawn against each other in the knockout stages to produce one finalist, and the four second-placed teams played against each other to produce the second finalist. In subsequent tournaments it has become customary to draw group winners against second-placed teams in the first knockout round. In any knockout game tied after 90 minutes, 30 minutes of extra time were played. If the scores had still been level after extra time, in any knockout game other than the final, lots would have been drawn to decide which team progressed. However, if the final had been tied after extra time, it would have been replayed, with lots deciding the winner only if the replay was also tied after extra time. In the event, all the knockout games were decided in either normal time or extra time, with no replays or drawing of lots being required. Venues Six venues in six cities (1 venue in each city) hosted the tournament's 26 matches. The most used stadium was the St. Jakob stadium in Basel, which hosted 6 matches. The venues in Bern, Zurich and Lausanne each hosted 5 matches, the venue in Geneva hosted 4 matches and the venue in Lugano only hosted 1 match. Squads For a list of all squads that appeared in the final tournament, see 1954 FIFA World Cup squads. Match officials * Raymon Wyssling * Benjamin Griffiths * Charlie Faultless * Manuel Asensi * Jose da Costa Vieira * Raymond Vincenti * William Ling * Esteban Marino * Arthur Edward Ellis * Laurent Franken * Vincenzo Orlandini * Vasa Stefanovic * Mario Vianna * Emil Schmetzer * Carl Erich Steiner * István Zsolt Participants Asia * Korea Republic (KOR) Europe * Austria (AUT) * Belgium (BEL) * Czechoslovakia (TCH) * England (ENG) * France (FRA) * West Germany (FRG) * Hungary (HUN) * Italy (ITA) * Scotland (SCO) * Switzerland (SUI) * Turkey (TUR) * Yugoslavia (YUG) North and Central America * Mexico (MEX) South America * Brazil (BRA) * Uruguay (URU) Results First round Group 1 *Brazil finished ahead of Yugoslavia on drawing of lots |score = 5–0 |report = Report |team2 = |goals1 = Baltazar Didi Pinga Julinho |stadium = Charmilles Stadium, Geneva |attendance = 13,470 |referee = Raymon Wyssling (Switzerland) }} |score = 1–0 |report = Report |team2 = |goals1 = Milutinović |stadium = Stade Olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne |attendance = 16,000 |referee = Benjamin Griffiths (Wales) }} ---- |score = 1–1 (a.e.t.) |report = Report |team2 = |goals1 = Didi |goals2 = Zebec |stadium = Stade Olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne |attendance = 24,637 |referee = Charlie Faultless (Scotland) }} ---- |score = 3–2 |report = Report |team2 = |goals1 = Jean Vincent Cárdenas Kopa |goals2 = Lamadrid Balcázar |stadium = Charmilles Stadium, Geneva |attendance = 19,000 |referee = Manuel Asensi (Spain) }} Group 2 *West Germany finished ahead of Turkey by winning a play-off |score = 4–1 |report = Report |team2 = |goals1 = Schäfer Klodt O. Walter Morlock |goals2 = Suat |stadium = Wankdorf Stadium, Bern |attendance = 28,000 |referee = Jose da Costa Vieira (Portugal) }} |score = 9–0 |report = Report |team2 = |goals1 = Puskás Lantos Kocsis Czibor Palotás |stadium = Hardturm Stadium, Zürich |attendance = 13,000 |referee = Raymond Vincenti (France) }} ---- |score = 8–3 |report = Report |team2 = |goals1 = Kocsis Puskás Hidegkuti J. Tóth |goals2 = Pfaff Rahn Herrmann |stadium = St. Jakob Stadium, Basel |attendance = 56,000 |referee = William Ling (England) }} ---- |score = 7–0 |report = Report |team2 = |goals1 = Suat Lefter Burhan Erol |stadium = Charmilles Stadium, Geneva |attendance = 4,000 |referee = Esteban Marino (Uruguay) }} Play-off |score = 7–2 |report = Report |team2 = |goals1 = O. Walter Schäfer Morlock F. Walter |goals2 = Mustafa Lefter |stadium = Hardturm Stadium, Zürich |attendance = 17,000 |referee = Raymond Vincenti (France) }} Group 3 *Uruguay finished ahead of Austria on drawing of lots |score = 2–0 |report = Report |team2 = |goals1 = Míguez Schiaffino |stadium = Wankdorf Stadium, Bern |attendance = 20,500 |referee = Arthur Ellis (England) }} |score = 1–0 |report = Report |team2 = |goals1 = Probst |stadium = Hardturm Stadium, Zürich |attendance = 25,000 |referee = Laurent Franken (Belgium) }} ---- |score = 7–0 |report = Report |team2 = |goals1 = Borges Míguez Abbadie |stadium = St. Jakob Stadium, Basel |attendance = 34,000 |referee = Vincenzo Orlandini (Italy) }} ---- |score = 5–0 |report = Report |team2 = |goals1 = Stojaspal Probst |stadium = Hardturm Stadium, Zürich |attendance = 26,000 |referee = Vasa Stefanovic (Yugoslavia) }} Group 4 *Switzerland finished ahead of Italy by winning a play-off |score = 2–1 |report = Report |team2 = |goals1 = Ballaman Hügi |goals2 = Boniperti |stadium = Stade Olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne |attendance = 43,000 |referee = Mario Vianna (Brazil) }} ---- |score = 4–4 |aet = yes |report = Report |team2 = |goals1 = Broadis Lofthouse |goals2 = Anoul Coppens Dickinson |stadium = St. Jakob Stadium, Basel |attendance = 14,000 |referee = Emil Schmetzer (West Germany) }} ---- |score = 4–1 |report = Report |team2 = |goals1 = Pandolfini Galli Frignani Lorenzi |goals2 = Anoul |stadium = Cornaredo Stadium, Lugano |attendance = 24,000 |referee = Carl Erich Steiner (Austria) }} ---- |score = 2–0 |report = Report |team2 = |goals1 = Mullen Wilshaw |stadium = Wankdorf Stadium, Bern |attendance = 43,500 |referee = Istvan Zsolt (Hungary) }} Play-off |score = 4–1 |report = Report |team2 = |goals1 = Hügi Ballaman Fatton |goals2 = Nesti |stadium = St. Jakob Stadium, Basel |attendance = 30,000 |referee = Benjamin Griffiths (Wales) }} Knockout stage '|'2'| |0 |26 June – Lausanne|' '|'7'| |5 |27 June – Bern|' '|'4'| |2 |26 June – Basel|' '|'4'| |2 |30 June – Basel|' '|'6'| |1 |30 June – Lausanne|' ' (a.e.t.)|'4'| |2 |4 July – Bern|' '|'3'| |2 |3 July – Zürich|' '|'3'| |1 |consol=Third|3rdplace=yes }} Quarter-finals |score = 7–5 |report = Report |team2 = |goals1 = Wagner R. Körner Ocwirk Probst |goals2 = Ballaman Hügi |stadium = Stade Olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne |attendance = 35,000 |referee = Charlie Faultless (Scotland) }} |score = 4–2 |report = Report |team2 = |goals1 = Borges Varela Schiaffino Ambrois |goals2 = Lofthouse Finney |stadium = St. Jakob Stadium, Basel |attendance = 28,000 |referee = Carl Erich Steiner (Austria) }} ---- |score = 2–0 |report = Report |team2 = |goals1 = Horvat Rahn |stadium = Charmilles Stadium, Geneva |attendance = 17,000 |referee = Istvan Zsolt (Hungary) }} |score = 4–2 |report = Report |team2 = |goals1 = Hidegkuti Kocsis Lantos |goals2 = Djalma Santos Julinho |stadium = Wankdorf Stadium, Bern |attendance = 40,000 |referee = Arthur Ellis (England) }} Semi-finals |score = 6–1 |report = Report |team2 = |goals1 = Schäfer Morlock F. Walter O. Walter |goals2 = Probst |stadium = St. Jakob Stadium, Basel |attendance = 58,000 |referee = Vincenzo Orlandini (Italy) }} |score = 4–2 |aet = yes |report = Report |team2 = |goals1 = Czibor Hidegkuti Kocsis |goals2 = Hohberg |stadium = Stade Olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne |attendance = 45,000 |referee = Benjamin Griffiths (Wales) }} Third-place match |score = 3–1 |report = Report |team2 = |goals1 = Stojaspal Cruz Ocwirk |goals2 = Hohberg |stadium = Hardturm Stadium, Zürich |attendance = 32,000 |referee = Raymon Wyssling (Switzerland) }} Final |score = 3–2 |report = Report |team2 = |goals1 = Morlock Rahn |goals2 = Puskás Czibor |stadium = Wankdorf Stadium, Bern |attendance = 62,472 |referee = William Ling (England) }} Goalscorers With 11 goals, Sándor Kocsis was the top scorer in the tournament. In total, 140 goals were scored by 63 different players, with four of them credited as own goals. ;11 goals * Sándor Kocsis ;6 goals * Erich Probst * Josef Hügi * Max Morlock ;4 goals * Nándor Hidegkuti * Ferenc Puskás * Robert Ballaman * Carlos Borges * Helmut Rahn * Hans Schäfer * Ottmar Walter ;3 goals * Ernst Stojaspal * Theodor Wagner * Léopold Anoul * Nat Lofthouse * Zoltán Czibor * Burhan Sargun * Suat Mamat * Juan Hohberg * Óscar Míguez * Fritz Walter ;2 goals * Robert Körner * Ernst Ocwirk * Didi * Julinho * Pinga * Ivor Broadis * Mihály Lantos * Péter Palotás * Lefter Küçükandonyadis * Julio Abbadie * Juan Alberto Schiaffino ;1 goal * Henri Coppens * Baltazar * Djalma Santos * Tom Finney * Jimmy Mullen * Dennis Wilshaw * Raymond Kopa * Jean Vincent * József Tóth * Giampiero Boniperti * Amleto Frignani * Carlo Galli * Benito Lorenzi * Fulvio Nesti * Egisto Pandolfini * Tomás Balcázar * José Luis Lamadrid * Jacques Fatton * Mustafa Ertan * Erol Keskin * Javier Ambrois * Obdulio Varela * Richard Herrmann * Bernhard Klodt * Alfred Pfaff * Miloš Milutinović * Branko Zebec ;Own goals * Jimmy Dickinson (against Belgium) * Raúl Cárdenas (against France) * Luis Cruz (against Austria) * Ivica Horvat (against Germany) FIFA retrospective ranking In 1986, FIFA published a report that ranked all teams in each World Cup up to and including 1986, based on progress in the competition, overall results and quality of the opposition. The rankings for the 1954 tournament were as follows: In film The final scene of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's film The Marriage of Maria Braun takes place during the finals of the 1954 World Cup; in the scene's background, the sports announcer is celebrating West Germany's victory and shouting "Deutschland ist wieder was!" (Germany is something again); the film uses this as the symbol of Germany's recovery from the ravages of the Second World War. Sönke Wortmann's 2003 German box-office hit The Miracle of Bern (in German: Das Wunder von Bern) re-tells the story of the German team's route to victory through the eyes of a young boy who admires the key player of the final, Helmut Rahn. External links *1954 FIFA World Cup Switzerland ™, FIFA.com *Details at RSSSF Category:1954 FIFA World Cup